Director Employee Relations and Labor - Ocean State Job Lot : Job Details

Housing Works is a healing community of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Our mission is to end the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS through relentless advocacy, the provision of lifesaving services, and entrepreneurial businesses that sustain our efforts.

Compensation Range: $95,000 - $105,000 yearly commensurate with experience

Benefits:We have three comprehensive healthcare plans to choose from based on your priorities and budget. Housing Works covers most of the plan; you pay a portion, based on your salary. Staff begins accruing PTO immediately for a total of up to 30 days earned in the first year. We offer employees an educational benefit. This money is available for tuition loan reimbursement, tuition costs, and text books.

Overview:

The Director of Employee Relations and Labor position is responsible for overseeing employee and labor relations functions, with a focus on ensuring consistent and fair application of workplace policies, procedures, and the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Primary duties include managing employee relations matters, conducting investigations into workplace concerns, handling grievances, and supporting managers in interpreting and applying the employee handbook and CBA. The role serves as a key resource for supervisors at all levels, helping to navigate workplace issues and ensure compliance with labor regulations and internal policies.

Responsibilities:

• Responsible for Agency compliance with Federal and State legislation pertaining to all personnel matters.
• Prepares, recommends, and maintains records and procedures for controlling personnel transactions and reporting personnel data.
• Serves as EEO specialist.
• Lead and manage thorough, impartial investigations into misconduct, harassment, retaliation, and policy violations—interviewing witnesses, gathering evidence, documenting findings, and recommending resolutions.
• Administer grievance process under the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), serving as internal hearing officer and representing management in arbitration.
• Act as primary liaison with union leadership; facilitate ongoing labor management meetings, address inquiries, and tackle emerging issues collaboratively.
• Develop and implement a consistent discipline framework rooted in fairness, progressive steps, transparency, and restorative practices.
• Collaborate with legal/compliance to proactively identify organizational risks (e.g. unfair labor practices, discrimination) and design procedures to prevent them.
• Develop, revise, and enforce HR policies and procedures to align with federal, state, local laws (EEO, FMLA, ADA, NLRA), CBA terms, and internal standards.
• Ensure daily application of CBA provisions—seniority, discipline, promotions, wages, leave, etc.—and provide interpretive guidance to managers
• Partner with HR, compliance, and leadership to ensure unified application of employee relations practices across departments.
• Proposes, publishes, and administers personnel policies, in collaboration with VP and SVP of HR.
• Maintain robust documentation systems for investigations, grievances, disciplinary actions, training records, and labor communications

Other functions that may be required with this position include:

• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership and supervisors in handling employee relations issues, CBA interpretation, discipline, and conflict coaching.
• Produce periodic reports on grievance trends, investigation outcomes, disciplinary actions, and risk hotspots to inform leadership and guide continuous improvement.
• Ensure compliance with labor laws (e.g., NLRA, NLRB rulings), duty of fair representation, and non-retaliation requirements; respond to external charges or audits.
• Design and deliver training on labor relations, CBA provisions, investigation best practices, conflict resolution, and legal compliance
• Lead change initiatives related to updated policies, CBA renewals, or evolving compliance obligations.
• Represent Housing Works in at-step hearings, arbitration, and external agency engagements (NLRB, municipal/state labor boards)
• A bachelor's degree in personnel management, public administration, psychology, or education; and five (5) years' Employee Relation experience in the HR field

OR

• A Master's degree in Human Resource management or related Personnel/Human Resources field.

Job candidates should be aware that scammers may pose as employers and create fake job postings in order to extract personal information from individuals for financial gain. Housing Works will never ask job candidates for personal information, such as social security numbers or bank account details, over the phone. If you suspect that a job posting may be fake or wish to confirm that a job posting from Housing Works is genuine, please contact us at [email protected]

Housing Works was founded in 1990; With a long-term commitment to AIDS advocacy. Housing Works established New York State's first harm reduction-based, OASAS-licensed outpatient drug treatment program. Other services include Health Home care management, behavioral health, and syringe exchange programs. A pioneer in the social entrepreneurship movement, Housing Works operates 10 high-end thrift shops in Manhattan and Brooklyn and a much-loved Bookstore Cafe in Soho. For more information, visit www.housingworks.org

Housing Works fights for funding and legislation to ensure that all people living with HIV/AIDS have access to quality housing, healthcare, HIV prevention, and treatment, among other lifesaving services.

Housing Works provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements. Housing Works complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. Housing Works also does not request prior salary information during the hiring process. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Housing Works is a healing community of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Our mission is to end the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS through relentless advocacy, the provision of lifesaving services, and entrepreneurial businesses that sustain our efforts.

U. S. Patents 7,080,057; 7,310,626; 7,558,767; 7,562,059; 7,472,097; 7,606,778; 8,086,558 and 8,046,251.